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Neifor Acosta is both an example and beneficiary of the growing Hispanic population in the Milwaukee area.

Born and raised in Miami, Acosta came to Milwaukee in 1996 to attend law school at Marquette University. He never left, starting his law practice at a small Wauwatosa firm where he worked until March when he joined Previant, Goldberg, Uelmen, Gratz, Miller & Brueggeman S.C., Milwaukee, in part to focus more of his litigation practice on the area's Hispanic community.

"I was surprised by the size of the Latino community when I first came here and it's only grown since then," Acosta said.

The Hispanic population has grown significantly in the Milwaukee area and in Wisconsin state over the past 25 years. Since 1980, the number of Hispanic people in Milwaukee County has grown from 29,343 to 97,053 in 2004, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In the five-county area of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee and Washington counties, the number of Hispanics increased 18 percent between 2000 and 2004 from 109,501 to 129,313, according to the Census Bureau.

Statewide, the Hispanic population has increased 23 percent since 2000, jumping from 192,921 to 237,200 in 2004, according to Census Bureau figures. It marks the largest increase among the white, African American, Asian and American Indian population groups.

Acosta is fluent in Spanish and recently hired a bilingual paralegal through a job-matching program run by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, with the idea of expanding his practice in the Hispanic community.

"I hope I can hire two or three more bilingual paralegals," he said.

Serving community

The Hispanic influence is not being ignored by the business community, said Tim Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. He noted that a number of businesses are either hiring employees from the Hispanic community or moving their operations closer to the Hispanic work force.

Great Lakes Mortgage Co., Wauwatosa, will open a new office at 2915 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. on Milwaukee's south side by October. The company has hired three bilingual employees to staff the office, said Todd Langeness, president of Great Lakes Mortgage.

"It's such a growing market," he said.

Layton State Bank is also making efforts to better serve the Hispanic community. In October 2004, the bank hired a bilingual personal banker and marketing specialist to address growing demand for banking services from Hispanic customers at the bank's branch on Milwaukee's south side, 2740 W. Forest Home Ave.

The bank also intends on hiring more Spanish-speaking employees for the Forest Home location and is in the beginning stages of developing a marketing strategy geared for the Hispanic community, said Jane Guadagni, human resources coordinator at Layton State Bank.

Pete Polubinsky, plant manager at Healy Awards Inc., a manufacturer of plaques and trophies in Menomonee Falls, said the company recently hired an employee through the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce based on a recommendation from another manufacturer.

"We're hearing about it more and more," Polubinsky said of the Hispanic population growth in Wisconsin. "We're not seeing it out here in Menomonee Falls, but we'll go where we have to for good hires."

New businesses

Hispanic entrepreneurs are also growing in numbers, said Maria Monreal-Cameron, president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin. She said the chamber is registering one new startup per day.

"Milwaukee will come to rely on the growth of Hispanic and other minority businesses to grow its economy in the future," Sheehy said.

As the Hispanic population continues to grow, it does face challenges, said state Rep. Pedro Colon (D-Milwaukee). Among the biggest will be educating adults who may not have had access to strong education systems growing up. Current students also need adequate support in seeking higher education, he said.

"This community is hungry for success," Colon said.

Acosta sees plenty of opportunity for the Hispanic community to continue to grow and thrive in the Milwaukee area and Wisconsin.

"If you're a business and not thinking ahead to the changing face of America, you're going to be a relic," he said.

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